In recent months, luxury Swiss watch manufacturer Breitling has announced the release of a brand new chronometer to celebrate its legendary family of Breitling Navitimer watches. The Navitimer brand name was first made famous by Scott Carpenter; one of the original group of seven astronauts who took part in the NASA Project Mercury during 1959. Honoured as the fourth man from the USA to penetrate the bastion of outer space, and the second such man to orbit the earth, Carpenter forever cemented the Navitimer legacy by wearing an early model as he underwent a threefold orbit within the Aurora 7 capsule. 50 years after this historic event within the space race, Breitling has commemorated this feat with fresh incarnation of the Navitimer.
The worldwide issue of the limited edition Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute is an eloquent homage to the original iconic timepiece, whilst also representing an innovative evolution in its own right. Encased in a blackened steel that evokes images of deepest space, the Cosmonaute is also coated in a carbon based veneer to create a wristwatch that is resistant to the most severe of damages. Continuing the sophisticated theme of the Cosmonaute, the dial and the counter of the model conform to the same dark hue as the casing, whilst tiny luminescent and red details suggest isolated heavenly bodies within a night sky. Secured to the wrist by a lustrous black rubber ‘Ocean Racer’ strap with perforations, the new Cosmonaute is a magnificent convergence of style and substance.
The Cosmonaute is powered by a Breitling Caliber BO2 chronometer movement with a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per minute, and the manual winding system and 24 hour display of this movement are directly comparable to its celebrated predecessor. A 24 hour graduation was an integral feature boasted by the Aurora 7 Navitimer, as the need to separate day from night in space is a matter of utmost concern. Breitling always proudly maintains its close connections with the aviation industry, and so the Cosmonaute retains a circular slide rule to enable pilots to carry out any conceivable calculation related to navigation. This Breitling timepiece is not just a functional instrument though, as the finely impressed caseback boasts the emblem of the Aurora 7 mission that was so influential within the Navitimer’s history. Â
The Cosmonaute was issued on a limited edition basis, with each timepiece numbered from one to one-thousand, and has already been hailed as the latest triumph within Breitling’s extensive catalogue of watch-making exploits. Scott Carpenter chose the Navitimer as the ideal wristwatch to meet his specific requirements, and many contemporary horological connoisseurs are likely to favour the Cosmonaute due to that exact same logic. Here at Banks Lyon we also have a long standing history when it comes to supplying a huge selection of similarly prestigious Breitling watches. For more information about our full stock of high-end Swiss watches, please do not hesitate to contact our experienced team of professionals on 01524 38 48 58 and we will endeavour to assist you in any way that we can.
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